Gideon Newkirk Drake
|image = Image:Gideon.png |Orientation = Heterosexual |Department = Helm |Notable Family = _ Newkirk Drake, father Lord Boothby Drake, uncle |Decorations = _ *2136-2140: Chess Champion, St. Mary’s College *2145: Starfleet Academy Chess Champion *2145-2148: Starfleet Academy Flight Champion |FaceClaim = Finn Jones }} Gideon Newkirk Drake was a Starfleet officer and the current Chief Helm Officer of the starship NX-04 Discovery. Personal History Gideon Drake was born in the North of England to comfort and luxury, hailing from Drake Hall, the ancestral home of a long line of nobles and military officers. Gideon represents the twelfth generation of Drakes who had served in the military, particularly in the Royal Air Force, and later, astronomy, having had ambitions to go to the stars, ambitions that came true after First Contact with Vulcan almost a hundred years ago, it seemed. None of his family ever had interest in Starfleet, feeling to naval, but his grandfather and father before him had been test pilots for Starfleet before Gideon himself became a full-fledged helm officer. Many Drakes before him had affluential positions on Starfleet colonies, but Gideon would much rather wander through the stars rather than be a colonial administrator. It was specifically evidenced in his skills as a pilot and tactics. He liked to play chess, but his tactics were useful in his flight abilities. He had perfected his flying skills by practicing on his family aircraft. So anxious to join Starfleet he was, Gideon joined once he was old enough. He was brilliant for one of his age, blowing away his instructors, especially his flight instructors, becoming the Academy Flight Champion all the way to his graduation. By the time he graduated, he was regarded as one of the best pilots in Starfleet. Also, after years of being in the all-male Eton College, Gideon was anxious to see girls again. His first assignment took him aboard the Starship Niagara, the second of the little Discoverer-class starships, designed to be quick and agile for a Warp Three engine, like one of the helmsmen who piloted the craft, a fitting assignment for a future star pilot. Granted, because of his skills, he was tapped for the NX program, but it was Travis Mayweather who won the honor of piloting the first of the NX-class ships. After a few years, Gideon felt he could stretch his wings further, as it were, and that transfer took him to the prototype Starship Poseidon, one of the new starships assigned to Earth’s defense patrol. He was still tapped to pilot an NX-class ship, but the Poseidon, with a similar saucer section, felt like the next best thing. But that wasn’t the first reason. Gideon was on the bridge when the Niagara, having just been back to resupply, received news of a probe that appeared out of nowhere and sent a beam carving its way through Florida and the Caribbean. He tried to get the Niagara in firing range as quickly as possible, hoping to get it fast enough, but the probe went flying to Earth, its test finished, before Gideon could even get the ship into position. Later, they discovered the probe was a prototype for a weapon built by the Xindi intended to destroy Earth. Gideon wished he would’ve gone with the Starship Enterprise to the Expanse, but he felt he was needed near Earth, and in any case, in Gideon’s opinion, Travis Mayweather could get Enterprise out of trouble quicker than it could get in. In addition, when the offer came to helm the new starship that just came off the assembly line, a temporary assignment until the Columbia was finished, Gideon took it up on the offer. The next year was a tense one, but Gideon was relieved when Enterprise returned a year later, and he let those feelings out with the rest of the crews’ cheers and applause. Upon the Columbia’s completion, Gideon transferred over and took part in its launch. It was Gideon who was on the bridge when Columbia made it in time to help Enterprise, and it was Gideon who flipped the ship upside-down under Enterprise so Chief Engineer Trip Tucker could get aboard Enterprise and fix it. He was also on the bridge when Columbia assisted Enterprise in battle near the Qu’Vat colony in its rescue of Doctor Phlox. Gideon felt he could’ve flown circles around the Klingons all day. After that, Columbia was assigned to protect the shipping lanes of the newly formed Coalition of Planets. When Columbia and Enterprise were defending Draylax from Romulan ships – even though they were Klingon in origin – it was Gideon who was on the bridge again when the sortie went down. Gideon was given a promotion and offered a position to one of the new NX starships, the Discovery. Captain Hernandez was impressed with Gideon’s maneuvering of Columbia in past situations and provided a strong commendation. So did Lord Drake and other members of his family. As a result, it led to Gideon becoming Assistant Helm Officer upon arriving on the Discovery. Gideon was glad for the transfer, because Columbia would disappear in the first months of the Romulan War. Months later, Romulans attacked the Discovery. Gideon wished he would’ve been faster, but he let his elated feelings and luxury of being aboard an NX-class distract him. Gideon’s flying skills had kept Discovery from worse problems, even destruction, at least that’s what Gideon felt. He now knew what it felt to be a part of Enterprise after it had been horribly damaged. The months left him rattled and feeling guilt; he felt if he had been faster, if he had made faster maneuvers on the Discovery, it wouldn’t have been hit so much. But he kept telling himself, not to mention was told by other members of the crew, that if it wasn’t for his flying skills, the Discovery would’ve been worse off, perhaps even blown to smithereens. Gideon was determined to keep up more practice in his flight, and by the time he got Discovery back, and getting bumped up to Chief Helm Officer, Gideon spent as much time as possible practicing his flying…and finding comfort in Drake Hall when he wasn’t flying, and looking to raise humor in the town pub, but restrained himself from getting drunk. Personality Gideon is a suave young man, brilliant in his tactics, but when it came to flying, he was amazing. He can be arrogant at times, which came from being raised spoiled, and was cocky at times. But for the most part, he gladly deferred to his superiors, and depending on their conduct, Gideon provided respect. He had grown handsome as he matured, and thus earned a reputation as a lady's man, using his handsome looks as an advantage, but what interested him more than women, was flying. Gideon can be egotistical, maybe slightly snobbish at times, but he never handles failure well. He enjoys being a winner so much, on the times that he does lose, it hits him very hard. For instance, when he failed to get the Niagara to the probe to shoot it down, hoping to prevent more casualties, he felt very bad, guilty even. The same for all those months on the Discovery after the attack on the Romulans. But his policy to failure was something he learned from his uncle, Lord Drake: “You crash-land, you get in the next craft you see and get your arse back in the air. Otherwise, too much time goes by and you don’t, you become afraid to fly.” It was a lesson Gideon had learned from childhood, and ever since, he thought of those comforting words whenever he was unsuccessful at something…which was somewhat rare in his case, but it did happen. Gideon had learned tactics from playing chess, but he had been flying ever since he was five, with the help of his uncle and father, of course. He was so handsome, of course, and he liked women, and the more challenging they were, the more interested he was in them. Gideon liked luxury, coming from nobility, and he liked to have a sense of humor about him. He makes wisecracks at times, and he’s always baring his crooked smile. Strengths Flying, Chess, Flying maneuvers, Partial wisecracks, Cockiness Weaknesses Finding the right woman, Coping with failure Ambitions Gideon sees himself as the captain of his own ship in five years, and perhaps an admiral like the rest of his ancestors in ten. He works toward being an excellent flyer. Hobbies & Interests Flying, Seeking out luxury, Chess, Novels, Films, Sharpshooting (especially when flying), Target practice (especially when flying). Flirting Physical Profile Gideon enjoyed keeping in shape, and he always had a unique hairstyle, something that demonstrated his lineage from nobility, but for some reason, it was always in curls, even when his hair was short. He always loved looking the parts of gentlemen, which added to his being a lady's man, but he often had a haunted look since coming back from Discovery’s months of hell. In general, he was hot. Education & Service Record Category:Characters